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Korea Tourism Organization-Haman County, Commercializing Nakwhanori Tourism Product
Excluding July-August, Pilot Operation 4 Times Until November
Haman Nakwhanori, known as the Joseon-era fireworks show that quickly sells out and causes traffic jams on nearby highways and national roads during the festival period, is being reborn as a tourist product that can be seen once a month.
On the 5th, the Korea Tourism Organization announced that it will commercialize Nakwhanori, a "Korean-style fireworks show," in cooperation with Haman-gun, Gyeongnam, and operate it once a month from the 29th until November. Operations will be temporarily suspended in July and August to prepare for the heatwave.
Nakwhanori is a traditional fireworks show that began in the Joseon Dynasty. Although its transmission was interrupted during the Japanese colonial period, the Nakwhanori Preservation Society has been reenacting it once a year since 1985.
Last year, on the day of the event, 50,000 to 60,000 tourists from across the country flocked to Haman-gun, which has a population of about 61,000, causing traffic congestion and communication outages.
In response, this year, the festival period was spread over two days, May 14 and 15, and measures such as introducing a reservation system for 7,000 people per day and operating shuttle buses were implemented to alleviate traffic congestion and enhance tourist satisfaction.
Demand for the "fireworks rain" surged again ahead of this year’s festival, and reservations sold out within one minute. Accordingly, the organization and Haman-gun planned this pilot project to inherit the tradition of Nakwhanori and allow more people to enjoy it. Next year, they are considering designating a dedicated travel agency and launching a regular product.
The pilot tourism product including Nakwhanori offers various options from the day of the event to accommodation schedules, with prices starting from 45,000 won. Detailed information can be found from the 5th on the Korea Tourism Organization’s Korea Travel Online website’s travel product promotion hall and Haman-gun’s culture and tourism website.
Park Hyung-gwan, head of the Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam branch of the Korea Tourism Organization, said, "We hope this pilot product will promote Haman Nakwhanori nationwide and greatly contribute to revitalizing local tourism."
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